10/07/2009 @ 5:00PM

In Depth: America's Most Expensive Cities

To determine the U.S. cities where the cost of living is highest, the London office of Mercer, an American human resources consulting company, earlier this year measured the prices of the same basket of goods in 253 of the world’s cities. The basket is composed of over 200 products, representative of executive spending patterns and including everything from rent for a luxury apartment to the cost of a fast-food hamburger. Mercer chose a sampling of U.S. cities to measure, the 10 most expensive of which are listed here.

4. San Francisco, Calif.

World rank 2009: 34

World rank 2008: 78

Two-bedroom unfurnished luxury apartment rental: $2,500

One cup of coffee, including service: $4.50

Fast-food hamburger meal: $6.09

Read on for more real estate, including which U.S. areas have the highest median income, and an interactive look at the countrys most expensive ZIP codes.